MadAmster

I booked flights for me n er indoors for the Burton game. It's now the Monday so the flights have been cancelled costing me 50 quid. Fortunately I hadn't booked a hotel yet.
Might still come over for a do on the Saturday in Burton and then stay till the Tuesday. Gonna cost me even more money. 

2024 - what will it bring us?
Joy, pain, heartache and then delirium when we go up. The usual DCFC roller coaster.

Hales. A goalscoring machine until he came to Derby. Became one again when he left Derby.
Typical Derby. Buy a player (for £440K) and then play to his weaknesses. He scored his goals picking up on knock downs and flick ons from his striking partner Flanagan (who allegedly also scored with Mrs H, thereby causing the training ground bust up they had) and from using his pace off the mark to latch on to through balls. Derby decided to make him an O'Hare like target man, a skill set he didn't have. He scored something like 4 in 28 appearances for us. We sold him to the Hammers for £330K, 10 in 24 there. Sold back to Charlton for £100K where he continued to find the net on a regular basis.
He doesn't have good stats with Derby simply because Derby didn't play to his strengths. Derby's fault, not Hales'.

I'll be using my RamsTV season ticket here in wet and windy Holland. Next visit for me is the Burton game which I'm combining with seeing friends and family.

Just had a butcher's.... 653 home tickets left... and it's on Sky.

Just had a butcher's.... 653 home tickets left... and it's on Sky.

Don't throw a spanner in the works or Mucker will be hammering it for ages. Remember, Cruz Allen is the key

I'll be using my RamsTV season ticket here in wet and windy Holland. Next visit for me is the Burton game which I'm combining with seeing friends and family.

I'll be using my RamsTV season ticket here in wet and windy Holland. Next visit for me is the Burton game which I'm combining with seeing friends and family.

I guess the stats show that scoring goals isn’t all about the striker. We have too many games where striker is not involved. Collins didn’t achieve much at Wigan or Oxford, still puts a good shift in though. Washington has been ok at best. Again we need at least another option or a better option than Washington.
defensive mix wise we have smith, but don’t think he complements our other midfielders at all. An upgrade in this position be a big help. 
And we’re trying to win the league, scoring the most and conceding the least should be the target. Along with winning games.
It’s not that difficult a league, we feel close at the minute. Is the ideal time to strengthen.

Here's a few thoughts on points raised, thus far...
We do need a striker, agreed. Fans, pundits, staff all seem to agree on that. However, the stats show that only 2 sides have scored more than us so far this season. Scoring doesn't seem to be a problem.
DM. They are part of a defence that has seen us concede less than any club except Pompey. Are we really that bad defensively? My only real issue at DM is that we, all too often, allow opposition players to make 40 or 50 yards without a challenge. Having said that, we are defensively sound.
Rooney. Considering the extent of his injury, I don't expect to see him play again this season. I sincerely hope I'm wrong but don't think I am. 

Stupid challenge for the penalty. 2nd goal, their player was looking for contact, felt it and went down, a "manufactured" free kick. Then Wildsmith set the wall to cover his right hand post and took the left himself. Beaten on that very post. He was flawless after that. Last 30 of the first half we were the better side and it was a question of when, not if, we would score. It was a surprise that our 1st came so late in the half. They were suspect on crosses and we exploited that 2nd half, pinning them inside their own half for what felt like 40 of the 45 minutes and deservedly got 2 more goals to win the game. Tommo scored with a header, I wonder what the odds on that were?  Cash got the winner and 3 points in the bag. That's now 2 very accomplished performances on the trot. A 3rd similar one against Posh on Monday should see us as serious promotion candidates along with Pompey and Bolton. Same XI 2 games running, Warne's on hatttick... Will the 3rd go in? Based on his track record, there will be changes. We troubled them down the right and had them in absolute knots down the left. More of the same, come Monday, and we're on our way...

It always used to be, many moons ago, those present plus STHs not present. Apparently, these days, it's the number of people on the day.

I'd be even happier if we had a Steve Howard / Rob Hulse type #9. They'd have a field day.

I'd be even happier if we had a Steve Howard / Rob Hulse type #9. They'd have a field day.

I'd be even happier if we had a Steve Howard / Rob Hulse type #9. They'd have a field day.

Stupid challenge for the penalty. 2nd goal, their player was looking for contact, felt it and went down, a "manufactured" free kick. Then Wildsmith set the wall to cover his right hand post and took the left himself. Beaten on that very post. He was flawless after that. Last 30 of the first half we were the better side and it was a question of when, not if, we would score. It was a surprise that our 1st came so late in the half. They were suspect on crosses and we exploited that 2nd half, pinning them inside their own half for what felt like 40 of the 45 minutes and deservedly got 2 more goals to win the game. Tommo scored with a header, I wonder what the odds on that were?  Cash got the winner and 3 points in the bag. That's now 2 very accomplished performances on the trot. A 3rd similar one against Posh on Monday should see us as serious promotion candidates along with Pompey and Bolton. Same XI 2 games running, Warne's on hatttick... Will the 3rd go in? Based on his track record, there will be changes. We troubled them down the right and had them in absolute knots down the left. More of the same, come Monday, and we're on our way...

That was my thoughts too.

Foz's "goal". Still struggling to understand what Collo did wrong to give a FK to Wigan.

1Wildsmith 6 Nowt to do all day
24Nyambe 7 Would never have known he'd been out for 4 weeks
35Nelson 8 Solid as a rock all game, Great header for the goal.
6Cashin 8 Busy all afternoon, Solid.
3Forsyth 7
2Wilson 7
22Fornah 6
8Bird 7
4Hourihane 7
5Bradley 6
20Elder 6
7Barkhuizen 6
19Sibley 6.5
11Méndez-Laing 6.5
9Collins 6.5 

TV
1Wildsmith:-6
23Ward:-5
35Nelson:-7.5
6Cashin:-7.5
3Forsyth:-6
4Hourihane:-5.5
7Barkhuizen:-5
22Fornah:-5
8Bird:-6.5
11Méndez-Laing:-6
9Collins:-7
17Sibley:-6.5
2Wilson:-6
20Elder:-6
19John-Jules:-6
16Thompson:-6
 
Good 3 points. That's about it for positives for me.

Poor opening 10 minutes, better side for the remainder of the 1st half without setting anything alight. Far too many awful passes made when they weren't necessary. Players need to stop trying to conjure up worldy passes that aren't on.

Pretty much the same story 2nd half. They started the better side and we took over after the opening 10 minutes. Still not anything to write home about.

In both halves we had the odd flurry of quick passes that led to nowt. Ringing the changes improved things but still not to the standards we have seen at times this season.

Happy with the result. Good goals but not the level of performance we want/need to be where we want to be come May.

Totally agree. Taking the 3 games Rebecca Welch has officiated DCFC, she has done well in all 3. Not perfect but no ref, including me (retired last season at 69), is. I think she's being fast tracked but not because she is female but because she is good at the job.
She might be having an easier ride from players than her male counterparts because most players know that any angry "in her face" moments would be all over the press and social media in a flash and their wife/girl friend/ mother would give them a really hard time. That says more about players than it does about female refs.

Not disagreeing. Factually, you are correct but if you look at how the two were used there are differences between Sibs and Hughes. Hughesy was played regularly in the same role and improved. Sibs? His only extended run at any one position was last season at Left Back and he did well. Give him a run at #10 to see if he can become the player he was expected to be. IMO, it's his usage as a utility player that has arrested his development.
His contract is up in the summer. I still believe there's a good player in there. If he's not going to get a run at #10 (or any other role for that matter), I'd advise him to move on to a club where he can get a run and reignite his development and become the Sibs we all want him to be. I don't see PW giving him what he needs. If he does move on I hope he gets what he needs and shows the past few DCFC Managers where they went wrong. If he stays I hope he gets the chance to show what he can do in his preferred role.

Not disagreeing. Factually, you are correct but if you look at how the two were used there are differences between Sibs and Hughes. Hughesy was played regularly in the same role and improved. Sibs? His only extended run at any one position was last season at Left Back and he did well. Give him a run at #10 to see if he can become the player he was expected to be. IMO, it's his usage as a utility player that has arrested his development.
His contract is up in the summer. I still believe there's a good player in there. If he's not going to get a run at #10 (or any other role for that matter), I'd advise him to move on to a club where he can get a run and reignite his development and become the Sibs we all want him to be. I don't see PW giving him what he needs. If he does move on I hope he gets what he needs and shows the past few DCFC Managers where they went wrong. If he stays I hope he gets the chance to show what he can do in his preferred role.

He's not fulfilled his potential as a player but has improved his disciplinary record. IMO, he never will fulfil his potential when he never gets a run at one position except for that extended run at left back last season when he did well. I feel for the lad.